A Small Slice of Heaven
“There is no one like our God!” was sung out, a harmonious refrain that filled my heart with joy. Over 150 women gathered together, proclaiming the greatness of God. In a quiet town in Croatia, there was a small glimpse of heaven as women from 28 different countries, singing and speaking in so many different languages, joined together to worship the Lord.
When the conference was planned over a year ago, the leadership chose to book enough rooms for 100 women. The Lord filled those rooms and then some. He brought together women from so many different walks of life: young, old, married, single, ordained, studying, missionary, national, etc. But our faith connected us all. We greeted each other in different languages and spoke with so many accents, but the joy and love of the Lord is universal and completely understood even when language fails.
Called Conference was a huge encouragement to me. It was very inspiring to hear the stories of other women working in Europe. At times it can feel as if you are the only person working for the Lord, but it was comforting to see that God has called so many people to the spiritual fields. I enjoyed meeting new women, as well as spending time with old friends.
The last session of the conference was a powerful journey through a covenant prayer by John Wesley, which said:
I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you; let me be exulted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing: I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant now made on earth, let it be in heaven. Amen
We all read it out loud, in our native tongue, and participated in prayer stations that had different lines of the prayer and an activity to remind us of the covenant we were making. It was a powerful time of self-reflection as I spent time at each station. One station that stuck with me was one for giving all things to the disposal and pleasure of the Lord. We wrote things that we loved or desired on the back of a postcard with open hands on the front. It was a reminder to trust the Lord with what I love and desire. Finally, and most importantly, it was a reminder that God is the best person to hold those things anyway. It was a practice in full surrender.
After all the women had prayed through all stations, we came together for communion. We created a large circle that took up the whole meeting room. The women on the planning committee each took a communion cup and a communion loaf. They handed the loaf to a different woman in the circle, and she would offer the loaf to the woman to her left.
The woman to the left would break off a piece of bread and dunk it in the cup being held by the leader, take communion, and then offer the loaf to the woman to her left. Thus the communion passed through all the women in attendance.
This is the moment I will remember from the Called Conference. Women offering and passing communion, speaking to each other about the sacrifice in Jesus in so many different languages. It was truly a small slice of heaven.
